Trunk-stay



: UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. LADD, OF' BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT.

TRUNK-STAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,203, dated January I, 184.

Application filed October 26, 1883. (X0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES E. LADD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bristol, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trunk-Stays, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in trunk-stays; and the objects of my invention are to make a stay which shall perform the additional functions of holding the hinged side of the trunk together and to prevent the shucking of the cover. I attain these objects by the simple construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a trunk with two different constructions of my stay ap plied to the respective ends thereof. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of one of these stays and portions of the trunk, the plane of section being indicated by the line :0 as of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a like view of the same with the trunk opened, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the same on line 9/ y of Fig. 1.

I form my trunk-stay of two hinged straps, A B, the same being connected together so as to slide longitudinally oneupon the other for a given distance. These straps are hinged to the trunk-cover C and trunk-body D at or near the rear corners thereof, as shown at a b. In connection with said straps I place a socket or saddle, 0, upon the back of the trunk and its cover, into which sockets or saddles the straps are received when the trunk is closed. At the lefthand end of Fig. 1, I have shown the straps A B connected so as to slide one upon the other by means of loopsd d, and the extent of their sliding motion is limited by means of a stop-shoulder, 6, formed on the ends of the straps A B by means of headed pins or studs f y passing through slots in said straps, the stud f being secured to the end of the strap B, while the stud g is secured to the end of the strap A, as shown. When the trunk is closed, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, these studs f 9 come in contact with the ends of the slots in the straps and prevent a further longitudinal movement'in that direction, so that the straps A B thus'combined serve as one solid tie to firmly hold the parts 0 D together. WVhen the trunk is opened, the stay immediately withdraws from the saddles c, and

the straps slide together longitudinally one upon the other, as they thus move outward from the trunk, until their sliding movement is stopped by the pins f 9 coming in contact with the other ends of the slots, and thereby a straight brace is formed for holding the cover open, as shown in Fig. 3.

- In Figs. 2 and 3, I have indicated the trunkhinges in broken lines, although as a matter of fact they are upon the side of the stay from which the view is taken, and consequently would not be seen in said views. When I use the slotted straps, I provide the middle portion of the saddle c with studs or projections h, which enter the slots in the straps and serve the purpose of a dowel. The straps are withdrawn from the saddles c by the act of opening the trunk and brought into engagement with said saddles by the act of closing the trunk.

By placing the sliding straps A B upon the rear and outside of the trunk,hinging them at or near the upper corners thereof, and providing them with suitable engaging saddles or dowels to act in connection with the back of the trunk, I make a much better trunk-stay than those ordinarily in use. \Vhen the trunk is closed,

the stay acts as a tie to firmly bind the trunk cover and body together, and, in connection with the dowels and saddles, it prevents the shucking of the cover on the edge of the trunkbody.

By these improvements the entire strain is removed from the ordinary hinges when the trunk is closed, and itisonly necessary to make said hinges just heavy enough to support the cover when it is turned back.

I am aware that the Patent No. 56, 720 shows a combined trunk hinge and stay, and I hereby disclaim the article described therein.

I claim as my invention 1. The herein-described trunk-stay, consisting of the two connected and longitudinallysliding straps, hinged respectively to the trunk cover and body at or near the rear corners 9 thereof, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

2. Thehinged straps connected so as to move longitudinally one upon the other, in combination with the engaging sockets or saddles at the back of the trunk, substantially as de scribed, and for the purpose specified.

8. The combination of a trunk cover and 0f the trunk, and the engaging sockets or sad- 10 body, the sliding stay applied to the outside dles, also applied to the back of the trunk subthereof at the rear, and means, substantially stantially as described, and for the purpose as described, which limit the extent of the slidspecified.

5 ing movement of the stay and form a tie when the trunk is closed, substantially as described, JAMES LADD' and for the purpose specified. \Vitnesses:

4. The combination of the hinged straps, JAMES SHEPARD, adapted to be applied to the outside and rear XETTIE SHEPARD. 

